Andrew Cadie - Half-Witted, Merry & Mad (Northumbrian Fiddle Music from William Vickers' Manuscript) (2018)

"Lone fiddler Andrew Cadie breathes life back in to forgotten gems on a bold new album of traditional Northumbrian music.

Sometime in the 19th Century, Newcastle Society of Antiquities came in to the possession of a dusty old manuscript containing fiddle and pipes tunes. An elusive local figure called William Vickers had noted down almost 600 melodies between 1770 and 1772, in what seems to have been a concerted effort to collect tunes that were circulating in the area at the time.

250 years later, Andrew Cadie has decided to make an album of some of these tunes, arranging them for unaccompanied fiddle.

Wonderfully weird modal jigs, ancient reels, songlike airs and rolling triple-time hornpipes keep surprising the ear. William Vickers was obviously surrounded by Northumbrian tunes that were considered ancient even at the time, but he also documents how people in the 18th century were already moving around and trading melodies. There's a strong Scottish contingent as well as some of the earliest records of tunes now considered Irish classics. Several southern English country dance tunes make an appearance and even some German and French examples crop up.

Despite the idea of a solo fiddle album sounding like a hard listen, Andrew Cadie found it easy to pick out enough variety of material to hold the audience's interest. This was thanks to the eclectic nature of the source. This is then bolstered through the use of traditional fiddle effects, such as driving "double-stopped" chords, bow bouncing, lively dynamics, overtone bowing and plenty of feeling.

"Music on a printed page is not a living thing", explains Andrew. " It was alive when Vickers was in the tavern, getting tunes from travelling strangers. But at some point many of these tunes were forgotten. Our job now is to breathe life back in to them and imagine how William Vickers would have played these tunes if he was alive now."

As an exception to the rule the album contains one "fiddle-singing" song. Sair Fyel'd Hinny was taught to Andrew by Nancy Kerr and tells the story of an old man comparing his failing strength to the enduring might of a much older oak tree. This song was already well known at the time when Vickers was compiling his book and the melody has some strangely beautiful twists, in-keeping with some of the dance tunes on the CD.

Born in Berwick upon Tweed, Andrew Cadie spent 10 years as a busker, often playing as a lone fiddler on street corners throughout Europe. A short stint playing for the Newcastle Kingsmen rapper dancing team also helped develop an interest in the fiddle as a generator of rhythm, harmony and melody. Originally self-taught, Andrew was offered violin tuition at high school in Staffordshire, where the family had moved to by then. Teacher Alan Brown oozed enthusiasm and virtuosity and passed on a sense of the endless musical possibilities the violin could offer - this left a lasting impression on Andrew's mind's eye. After time spent in Spain and Germany, Andrew returned to North East England in order to study Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University. Amongst his main tutors were Kathryn Tickell, who herself grew up playing fiddle Northumbrian shepherd Willy Taylor, and Shetland fiddler Chris Stout, who for Andrew was like a folk version of Alan Brown, teasing all kinds of crazy rhythms and textures out of a tiny wooden box.

In Germany in 2015 Andrew joined forces with compatriot and multi-instrumentalist Mark Bloomer to form the duo Broom Bezzums, releasing five CDs and still touring full time. But for this album it seemed right to go back to the challenge and the starkness of the naked fiddle.

William Vickers' manuscript has been a constant source of inspiration for generations of folk musicians in North East England. But with so many tunes left to uncover, this is just another step in that journey - and many more people will follow this path in time to come."

Tracklist:
2:43 | 01. Andrew Cadie - The Lily / The Mad Frenchman / The Drummer
2:56 | 02. Andrew Cadie - Basket of Oysters / Tumble Her over Again
3:54 | 03. Andrew Cadie - Jack's Gone a Shearin' / Sunderland Lasses / Canny Hobbie Elliott
2:46 | 04. Andrew Cadie - Hemp Dressers
2:39 | 05. Andrew Cadie - Lads of Saltcoats / The Bellman / Sleepy Maggie
3:14 | 06. Andrew Cadie - Sair Fyel'd Hinny
3:07 | 07. Andrew Cadie - The Sudden Thought / Life of Man / Lads of Our Alley
4:20 | 08. Andrew Cadie - Sherriff's Whim / Fiddler's Maggot / By Shields
3:49 | 09. Andrew Cadie - Lady Macintosh / The Confederacy / The Hermione
4:13 | 10. Andrew Cadie - Sailors Are All at the Bar / Ducks Dang Ower My Daddy / Gallop 'N' Shite
3:28 | 11. Andrew Cadie - Kitty Will You Marry Me Kate / Devil in the Bush / Hexham Lasses
4:01 | 12. Andrew Cadie - The West Indian / Sailor's Delight / Cellar Door Key